Education briefs for March 15, 2014: Band program offers pancake breakfast

The Moffat County High School jazz band will host a pancake breakfast for the community from 7 to 11 a.m. March 22 at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4265, 419 E. Victory Way.

Tickets are $5 per person or $15 per family. Proceeds benefit the music programs at MCHS.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit moffattickets.org or call 970-824-7036.

Colorado educators can apply for seedling trees

Teachers in Colorado still can apply to receive free seedling trees for class planting projects this spring.

The Colorado State Forest Service has extended the application deadline for Project Learning Tree, which allows trained educators to receive free seedling trees from its Fort Collins nursery. Interested teachers can apply to receive seedlings for planting projects on public or private land, or as awards to students for events and contests.

Trees will be available for spring or fall plantings in quantities of up to 200 per teacher. Applicants also may request a $100 stipend to help pay for additional project expenses. Local CSFS foresters will be available to offer awardees advice about species selection, planting methods and long-term tree care.

Applicants will be asked to promote proposed planting projects in their communities and, if not already certified, attend a PLT workshop before receiving their seedling tree shipment. For additional information, to register for a workshop or to apply online, go to www.coloradoplt.org.

Completed applications must be submitted online and received no later than 4 p.m. Friday. Applications will be reviewed by a CSFS committee, and successful applicants will be notified by March 28.

Moffat County High School singers attend large-scale choir event

Three Moffat County High School students recently traveled to Gunnison to participate in the Western Slope Honor Choir from March 6 to 8.

Caitlin Harjes, Wesley Atkin, and Marina Mecham were selected to participate from a pool of auditionees of over 400 students across the state. The select choirs included about 130 of Colorado’s finest vocal musicians.

The honor musicians were directed by Dr. Tina Thielen-Gaffey and Blair Buffington. Both clinicians have a rich heritage of vocal music education stemming from the anchored classics to modern vocal jazz.

MCHS Choir Director Christina Wilcox said festival director Heather Roberson is “owed much thanks for her organization of the festival, her recruitment of quality auditions made for an incredible select chorus.”

“Kudos and congratulations to Caitlin Harjes, Wesley Atkin and Marina Mecham for their hard work leading up to auditions, their selection into these elite ensembles and the hard work and dedication to incredible musical skill it took to create stunning culminating performances,” Wilcox said.

TCAP testing taking place in Moffat County schools

The TCAP tests will be continue to be administered for students grades 3 to 10 next week.

East, Ridgeview, Sandrock and Sunset Elementary Schools will have testing dates March 17 to 21 for all students in the subjects of math, reading and writing, with the exception of third-graders, who were tested in certain subjects in late February.

Maybell School students will test each day through March 24, except for Friday, when there is no class.

Craig Middle School’s TCAPs will be given March 17 to 20, and Moffat County High School students will take the tests March 18 to 20.

Students are advised to sleep well and eat a good breakfast prior to testing and to relinquish any distracting items during the sessions.

Grades 4, 5, 7, and 8 will also take the CMAS test in April.

Each school’s schedules are different and offer make-up times. For more information, call East at 970-824-6042, Ridgeview and Maybell at 970-824-7018, Sandrock at 970-824-3287, Sunset at 970-824-5762, CMS at 970-824-3289, or MCHS at 970-824-7036.

Legislators seeking interns

United States Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall are each seeking interns for their offices for this summer. The positions are open to undergraduate students or recent graduates.

Interns working in the Colorado offices will assist staff as they help constituents resolve issues with federal agencies. State interns also meet with local partners and help to represent the senator at community outreach events.

Interns in the Washington office will attend committee hearings and briefings, compose memos for legislative staff, answer phones, research legislative issues, help with press outreach, lead Capitol tours and participate in congressional events.

“Interns are an integral part of our office, providing essential support as we work to serve Coloradans,” Bennet said in a press release. “Our Colorado and Washington internship programs provide great opportunities to gain first-hand knowledge about issues that affect Coloradans. Interns receive an in-depth view of the legislative process and gain direct experience serving Colorado constituents, providing a unique experience for any young person interested in public service.”

Internships are unpaid, although college credit may be available. Today is the deadline to apply for Sen. Bennet’s Washington office. Colorado-based internships are open year-round for Bennet.

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be a Moffat County resident and either be a graduating senior or a graduate with plans to become a nurse. Applicants must have fulfilled or begun to fulfill the requirements to enter the nursing program at CNCC.

Applications must be submitted no later than March 31 to Paula Duzik at Moffat County High School. Applications and more information about the scholarship may be obtained from Mrs. Duzik or from the TMH Gift Shop.

The idea to offer a scholarship came from Auxiliary members Martha Martinez and Lois Stoffle.

The TMH Hospital Auxiliary was founded in 1956. Today, the Hospital Auxiliary has over 20 members who donate thousands of hours each year. They are instrumental in day-to-day operations of the hospital as well as in providing items essential to the hospital patients’ comfort and safety.

For more information, call Stoffle at 970-272-3238 or Martinez at 970-824-9533.

Agriculture scholarship available to Colorado seniors

The Colorado Association of Wheat Growers will award two $1,000 scholarships to Colorado high school seniors. The applicants’ parents, grandparents, or legal guardians must be current or new members of CAWG or the applicant must be nominated by a current sponsor of CAWG.

For a list of sponsors, please contact the CAWG office at 970-449-6994 or visit the scholarship page at coloradowheat.org/scholarship. One scholarship is funded by CAWG, and one is the “Friends of Wheat” scholarship, funded by donations in memory of several wheat supporters.

This is the fifth year for the scholarship tradition.

“It is an exciting time in agriculture. Technology is creating jobs in rural areas that need to be filled by skilled individuals,” said Randy Traxler, CAWG vice president in a press release. “Young people who have grown up in agriculture already have a terrific work ethic, and we are glad to provide scholarships to help with the additional training which is required for today’s careers.”

These scholarships will be awarded to graduating high school seniors planning to attend an accredited college, university, junior college or community college. The students must enter college the same year as their graduation from high school. Students intending to major in agriculture related fields are strongly urged to apply.

Applicants must fill out and return the CAWG scholarship form no later than April 1. Two one-page essays are required as part of the scholarship application.

The scholarship recipients will be announced in May. The scholarships will be distributed this summer after the recipients provide confirmation of their enrollment in a college or university.

United States Representative Scott Tipton recently announced that his office is now accepting submissions for the 3rd District Congressional Art Competition. Students in grades 9 to 12 that attend school or home school in the 3rd District are eligible to participate and should submit their work no later than April 11.

“This competition gives every high school student in the 3rd District the chance to share their artistic abilities with the community, and provides the winner the unique opportunity to have their work displayed in the U.S. Capitol,” Tipton said in a press release. “The hard work and skill that students have put into their pieces in previous years has been truly impressive. I look forward to seeing what this year’s competition will bring and to meeting the many talented students who participate.”

Guidelines for the competition state that the artwork must be no larger than 28 inches high, 28 inches wide and 4 inches deep including the outside dimensions of the frame.

Mixed Media — Use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.

Photography

Students can mail their submissions to the 3rd Congressional District Grand Junction office at 225 N. 5th Street, Ste. 702, Grand Junction, CO 81501. Submissions can also be delivered in person to the nearest 3rd District office location.

All submitted artwork will be put on display in Grand Junction from April 14 to 25. A reception will be held at 6 p.m. April 25 at Colorado Mesa University’s Fine Arts Building. All entrants will receive a certificate of participation signed by Rep. Tipton. First, second and third places will receive awards, and there will be honorable mentions for other submissions.

The first place winner of the competition will also be awarded a $3,000 college scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design; should they be accepted and show documentation of this achievement. Southwest Airlines will also present the first place winner and one family member with two roundtrip airline tickets to Washington, D.C. to attend the National Exhibit and reception. The first place artwork will be sent to Washington, D.C. to be exhibited in the U.S. Capitol along with other award-winning art works from across the nation for a period of one year.

For additional information on submitting artwork to the competition and for forms required with the submissions, visit tipton.house.gov/serving-you/art-competition or contact 3rd Congressional District Art Competition Liaison Brenda Felmlee at 719-587-5105 or Brenda.Felmlee@mail.house.gov.

Driver Education courses available

Moffat County High School will soon offer a new run of Driver Education courses.

Students should be six months from their 15th birthday or older when they begin the classes, which are offered in 10 days of three-hour sessions from 3:45 to 6:45 p.m. March 17 to 28.

A one-week summer session with six-hour days is also available from June 2 to 6. Students must get their learner’s permit within six months of completion, or the class will not be recognized by Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles.

Registration is $250, payable only by check or money order, and forms are available at MCHS. Enrollment is first come, first serve, and there will be no refunds once classes begin.

For more information about registering, call 970-824-7036.

ACT, SAT exams offered for Craig students in coming months

Students needing to take the ACT and SAT exams can register online at actstudent.org for the ACT and collegeboard.org for the SAT. Both sites also provide information for those taking the tests, including necessary supplies, documentation and other details.

The designated testing center for Craig is Moffat County High School, but students should consult the sites to determine which testing centers will be available on certain dates.

Both tests are offered multiple times throughout the school and have both regular deadlines and late deadlines, the latter of which involves a fee.

Moffat County High School students in need of a little extra help in the subjects of English, math and science are eligible to receive free tutoring at Colorado Northwestern Community College.

Sessions take place from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays for math and science and at the same time Tuesdays for English in CNCC’s Room 120.

Students must bring all the necessary assignments and materials.

For more information, call 970-824-1128 or contact Sheila Harper at sheila.harper@cncc.edu.

Education report reveals changes in teacher preparation numbers

The legislatively mandated annual report on educator preparation programs released this week found that enrollment in the state’s educator preparation programs in academic year 2012-2013 dipped 6 percent over the previous year, according to a press release from Colorado Department of Education.

The drop was documented across all age groups in undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate level programs.

• The largest program-level enrollment declines of those with more than 10 students enrolled were in teacher librarian and instructional technology teacher, which declined 52 percent and 50 percent, respectively.

• Minority students are slightly underrepresented in educator preparation programs compared to their overall representation in four-year colleges and universities in the state.

Over time, this report will evolve to include more outcomes-based data on how well educator preparation programs are doing in terms of preparing graduates for actual teaching jobs in a changing educational landscape. This data will include graduates’ overall educator effectiveness rating — Highly Effective, Effective, Partially Effective, Ineffective — as well as ratings on the individual quality standards, including student academic growth.

Senate Bill 10-191, The Great Teachers and Great Leaders Act, requires the adoption of new Educator Quality Standards. Educator preparation programs are in the process of aligning their programs to these new standards.

To aid in the transition to these new standards, the Rose Community Foundation awarded a grant to the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Education, which led to the creation of the Educator Preparation Project in June 2013. Through two pilot projects, this initiative, run through the Colorado Department of Higher Education, aims to identify a strategic and effective process for embedding Colorado’s education initiatives into educator preparation programs and for disseminating lessons learned to support the success of educator preparation programs.